Archaeologists investigating the Wancasanga site in Peru’s northern Andes have uncovered a group of circular structures that may have served as Inca state storehouses, together with a separate building containing two carefully constructed ventilation ducts.
The discovery was made in Sector C of Wancasanga, in the Condebamba Valley’s Cajabamba province, at an altitude of approximately 3,400 metres. The first systematic investigation of the sector identified 12 circular structures arranged in a crescent-shaped formation along the edge of the settlement. Researchers believe these buildings were colcas, facilities used by the Inca state to store food and other essential supplies.
The nearby ventilation structure contains two channels formed by side walls made from hewn and partially dressed stone blocks. Large slabs appear to have covered the channels, creating enclosed ducts. Archaeologist Oswaldo Ezeta Latoche said the arrangement may have allowed air to circulate through the storage facilities, potentially helping regulate internal conditions and protect their contents.
Fragments of an aryballos, a distinctive type of Inca vessel, were recovered from one of the suspected storehouses. The pottery supports the interpretation that the complex was constructed or used during the Inca period, although the structures’ precise function remains an interpretation of the archaeological evidence.
The buildings stand at the western end of Sector C, an area exposed to stronger winds. Project leader Jerry Solano Calderón said this environmental setting would have favored the operation of the ventilation ducts. The combination of the exposed location, air channels and organized arrangement of the buildings suggests that the complex may have been deliberately planned to use local conditions.
The work is being carried out by the Wancasanga 2026 Archaeological Research Project, led by Solano Calderón and funded by the District Municipality of Condebamba. It follows a 1989 survey by architect José Pineda Quevedo, which initially divided Wancasanga into archaeological sectors. The current project has resumed systematic survey and excavation in Sectors C and D, with participation from local residents of Chauchabamba.
Further research is intended to clarify Wancasanga’s place within the Inca administrative and logistical system and its relationship to nearby sites, including Ichabamba.
